Paying at the pump for fuel has taken the pain out of that compulsory trip for many motorists since the technology came in.

And it's now become a way of life for many drivers.

For a lot of us, gone are the days when you had to trek across a wet and windy petrol station forecourt only to queue up for petrol before embarking on the return journey.

However, new information has now come to light regarding the way some retailers deal with 'pay at the pump' transactions - and it may make you think twice using the system again (especially if you're paying using a certain type of account)

Here's what you need you need to know about 'earmarked' fees - and how to avoid seeing a much higher than expected expenditure on your bank statements courtesy of this handy guide by the Mirror Online .

The use of ‘earmarked’ fees

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

Paying for your petrol at the pump is a different process to going via the kiosk - you have to stick in your card and PIN before filling up.

As a result, the petrol station will want to ensure you actually have the money in your account to cover the cost of your fuel.

So a ‘pre-authorisation’ check takes place, with money from your account then essentially set aside to pay for your petrol or diesel once you’ve finished.

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Previously, most supermarkets would only charge £1 for this, with that money then refunded once the transaction went through. Indeed, that’s what Tesco still does.

But thanks to new rules from Visa and MasterCard , others are now using much higher figures.

At Sainsbury’s for example, the earmarked fee can range from £1 to £99, while Asda is currently trialling the £99 figure at a handful of stores ahead of a larger rollout.

One woman's experience

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

One woman who has fallen foul of the system is Jade Louise who bought £5-worth of fuel from Asda in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

However, when she later checked her bank account online found that £99 had been ‘earmarked’ to cover the transaction.

She described the process as an “absolute joke” on Facebook, adding: “Don’t go to Asda for fuel unless you can live without £99 for around 2-3 days.”

Her post has now been shared more than 18,000 times.

Has my money gone?

(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The supermarkets emphasise that they don’t get that money.

ASDA said: "This is an industry wide policy change from MasterCard and Visa in coordination with customer’s banks to ensure that customers have sufficient funds in their accounts prior to buying petrol.

"This amount is ‘ring-fenced’ by banks but immediately made available again to customers.

"The money is never taken or held by Asda."

Here’s how Sainsbury’s explains it: “The ‘earmarked’ value is never actually taken by the bank, or touched in any way by Sainsbury’s.

"It’s put into a ‘holding’ position before it’s replaced by the amount you paid for your fuel, and then disappears from your statement.”

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MasterCard also argued that this has been introduced to ensure drivers can’t buy more fuel than they can afford.

A spokesperson said that if drivers don’t have the required funds in their bank account to meet this higher figure, then petrol stations can check precisely what funds they do have available, and then dispense a lower value of fuel.

They added: “While some customers may see a request for a higher amount than the fuel they bought - perhaps on their mobile banking app - these funds are not taken from their account.

"Only the value of the petrol dispensed is withdrawn.”

Basic account holders blocked from paying

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This system has caused particular problems for the millions of people with basic bank accounts, which don’t have overdrafts.

Because many forecourts haven’t actually got round to introducing the new rules from Visa and MasterCard, which require these larger pre-authorisation checks, a number of banks have elected to block these account holders from being able to pay at the pump entirely, in a bid to stop them spending money they don’t have.

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For example, Santander has banned basic account holders from using their debit cards to pay at the pump, while other banks - including Halifax and Lloyds - have banned them from using pay at pump facilities which have not been updated to meet the new requirements.

Pay at the kiosk to beat it

(Image: PA)

The obvious way to avoid this problem is therefore to pay at the kiosk.

Yes, it’s less convenient and you will have to sidestep the siren call of the chocolate bars, but you will sidestep any issues associated with these larger authorisation checks.